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Washington (AFP) - As International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde's mandate enters the final stretch, emerging-market powers seem hesitant about teaming up to try to wrest the job away from Europeans.

Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday announced Egypt's support for French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's bid to head the International Monetary Fund."The Egyptian government supports the candidacy of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde for the post of managing director of the IMF," Arabi told reporters after talks with Lagarde in Cairo.The French minister said earlier that she was "confident" of her chances of heading the IMF, while declining to comment on her Israeli rival for the post.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble backs his French counterpart Christine Lagarde as the EU candidate to head the International Monetary Fund, a German weekly reported Saturday."If Christine Lagarde decided to be a candidate, Europe would have the best chance of occupying this position again," Schaeuble told the Bild am Sonntag in an interview to be published Sunday, the weekly said in a communique.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble backs his French counterpart Christine Lagarde as the EU candidate to head the International Monetary Fund, a German weekly reported on Saturday."If Christine Lagarde decided to be a candidate, Europe would have the best chance of occupying this position again," Schaeuble told the Bild am Sonntag in an interview to be published Sunday, the weekly said in a communique.

France's Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday she is running as a candidate to head the International Monetary Fund, after she received wide European backing for the post."I have decided to present my candidacy" for the job, she told reporters, adding that she had made the decision "after mature reflection."If appointed, she would be the first woman to head the global emergency lender which is currently deeply involved in the eurozone debt crisis.

[AP] - Britain is backing French finance minister Christine Lagarde to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund. Treasury chief George Osborne described Lagarde as the "outstanding candidate" to lead the world financial body.

Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer announced he was in the race to become the next head of the International Monetary Fund.Fischer, 67, is a widely respected economist credited with successfully guiding Israel's economy through the global crisis.He is nevertheless something of a dark-horse candidate, as France's Christine Lagarde and Mexico's Agustin Carstens are generally considered the leading contenders.Israel's Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said he would be backing Fischer's candidacy.